


Absence

by Artan



Series: Fluency AU [13]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Cultural Differences, F/M, Language, Longing, Seasonal Instincts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-07
Updated: 2017-03-07
Packaged: 2018-09-30 06:21:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10156055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artan/pseuds/Artan
Summary: A four day span away from Judy doesn't sound like much, but for Nick it may just ruin him.  At least, that is what the dramatic part of the fox says...





	

**Author's Note:**

> Italics are Lapine  
> Bold is Vulpine

Nick knew it was only going to be four days, but he was having trouble making it through just one.  Judy had left early that morning on the train to Bunnyburrow and the only thing he knew about what she was doing was the phrase ‘ _Rabbit Stuff_.’  Specifically, Doe things that males were far safer keeping their charming noses out of.  Nick knew the number one rule of dealing with females in vulpine society and didn’t feel like testing it again.  Don’t piss off the Matron.  It was better to be safe than sorry, but winter did nothing to help these matters.

The poor fox really was trying his best to keep his instincts in check, but it wasn’t easy or perfect.  Alone that the precinct in their shared cubicle, he found himself distracted by the wisps of her scent that remained on her chair.  Not that paperwork was the most interesting of duties, but without any other officers available it was all he could do.

When he returned to the apartment that evening, he was exhausted and tense.  The over-the-counter seasonal relief pills had done little to help during the day and left him feeling worse than before.  Nick dropped his bag beside the couch before collapsing on the furniture.  The smartphone came out of the vulpine officer’s pocket and the image of both him and his mate on the lock screen made him smile before he swiped it away.  It took only a matter of moments to call Judy’s number, but the dial tone lasted for an eternity.  Especially when all he reached was her voicemail.  He left a text instead; his impatience got the better of him.  That night, he clutched Judy’s pillow close and had to stop himself from rolling on her side of the bed.

The texts he sent and received from his wife on the train were a minor relief, but after he walked into the precinct they had to stop.  The police chief’s ire wouldn’t be the only anger he would have to face if he didn’t.  The workday managed to pass fairly quickly, however.  Fangmeyer made an excellent conversationalist during routine patrol duty compared to the incident reports of the previous day.  The same could not be said for himself, and he knew it.  The tigress was far more patient with the traffic stops they performed during the day in a way that Nick just couldn’t manage.  All that moody behavior seemed to elicit from his fellow officer was a few raised eyebrows and a mild chuckle at the end of the day.

The leftovers in the apartment from the previous evening were going to go uneaten; dinner was at his mother’s townhouse.  Marie Ann Wilde had invited him over the week before and the big rule of vulpine relations made the answer simple.  Nick was still glancing at his phone as he knocked on her door; Judy had stopped texting after a short conversation on the way to the townhouse.  On a certain level it was driving him crazy, but his refusal to take anything wasn’t helping.

He was fidgety all throughout the meal.  It was good food, toasted insects and a fruit based sauce, but his attention was directed elsewhere.  Two hundred and eleven miles elsewhere, in fact.  His mother was sympathetic, refilling his wineglass with a small smile on her muzzle.  “ **I take it Judy is out of town?** ”  She already knew the answer by the look on her face, but wanted to hear Nick say it.  “ **Yes,** ” He nodded, “ **She left for Bunnyburrow early yesterday morning and should be back on Sunday evening.** ”  A sigh escaped him and his shoulders fell.  “ **It’s just hard having her gone.  My mind knows that it’s just a temporary thing, but a part of me is just so worried about her.** ”

Marie beckoned her son along and they moved to the family room.  Nick sat on the couch and his mother joined him there.  Her usual seat in the well-worn chair abandoned for the evening.  She leaned over and looked him in the eyes, their emerald greens matching, before placing a comforting paw on his shoulder.  “ **It’s what happens when you love someone.  You come to rely on them and they rely on you.  So, the hole they fill is keenly felt when they’re gone.** ”

Nick always had trouble hiding his emotions during the winter, but around family that wasn’t an issue.  The look of guilt on his face was a full body display as he had a sudden realization.  “ **You mean to tell me that I put you through something like this for years after I left?  How did you manage to forgive me?** ”  His voice matched his flattened ears.  A warmth pressed against his side and his mother’s paw cupped under his chin.  She had shifted across the couch and lifted his snout to look him in the eyes.  “ **Because I love you, my son.  That will never change, no matter what.** ”  She held him close and he held her back.  It was the support Nick needed.

Saturday was the third day without Judy.  The sun had been up for hours when Nick finally rolled out of bed.  The ZPD had a standing policy of five days on active duty before getting two days off to rest.  Unfortunately the fox wasn’t getting much rest, the best he could do was keep himself occupied until exhaustion took him.  What would normally be his morning routine was something more of a mid-morning to nearly noon affair.  He called Judy from the apartment couch over his remaining leftovers.  It only rang once before she picked up.

“ _Judy?_ ”  “ **Nick?** ”  They spoke at the same time, on top of each other.  Nick’s shoulders relaxed as he heard her voice, releasing tension he had been carrying for days.  He took a small breath before speaking.  “ _How have things been, Judy?  Everything going fine?”_   Her reply was just as lively and energetic as she was.  “ _It’s been great, a few of the more distant relations stopped by yesterday in preparation for later today and this evening.  The snow has been fairly light this far outside the city, without the biomes affecting local weather.  How have things been with you, Nick?_ ”  The fox smiled slightly and took a moment before responding.  “ _Well, aside from yesterday’s patrol with Fangmeyer through the southern portions of the city it has been uneventful._ ”  He allowed himself to further relax as they talked, and only after they said their good-byes did he realize he had been curled around one of the pillows on the couch.  Specifically, after further inspection, one that smelled vaguely of Judy.  He groaned internally, his instincts were showing again.

That evening, he was waiting at the bar for Finnick.  The smaller desert fox had directed Nick to a bar in Sahara Square, near the coast.  Unlike the summer months, winter in the desert biome was surprisingly temperate.  Rain was a weekly event instead of a monthly occurrence.  The cacti and other local plants took these months to flower.  It was all supposed to be very romantic, at least among the natives to the district.  Nick was on his second bottle when the fennec scrambled onto the seat next to him.

It was less than two seconds before Finnick nearly fell out of his chair, laughing uproariously.  “ **Oh damn!  Nick, you are in deep for that rabbit.  Just look at you!** ”  Nick’s ears went flat before his friend started laughing even harder somehow.  “ **By the Saints, what are you even drinking?  Hard cider?  What happened to the whiskey on the rocks you used to swear by?** ”  Fin took a moment to catch his breath and shook his head while Nick quickly drained his half-finished cider.  The camel bartender dropped a heavy old fashioned glass in front of him, and Finnick was suddenly much more sympathetic.  “ **So, where is Judy tonight?  At this time of year, you should be attached to that doe.** ”  Nick lifted his muzzle from where he had been considering the liquor in front of him and answered quickly.  “ **She’s out of town, back home with the family until late tomorrow afternoon.** ”

Fin had a rare expression of concern when he began speaking, “ **You holding up alright?** ”  Nick nodded before taking a large gulp of the whiskey.  It burned slightly on his tongue but went down smooth, it was the top shelf stuff not meant to just be gulped down.  He took a much smaller sip next, taking a moment to savor the various flavors then turned to Fin.  “ **Honestly, it hasn’t been easy.  Judy left Thursday morning and couldn’t take me with or tell me much about what she was doing.  All I know is that it is ‘doe things,’ whatever that means.** ”  He sighed before continuing.  “ **I know it’s just a visit with family or something, but a part of me worries about… Well, us.** ”

Nick was having trouble putting his feelings into words, but the drinks were doing nothing to help.  His friend took a moment to decipher what exactly he said but when he did; there was a sudden change in his attitude.  The fennec took Nick’s drink and placed it out of his reach before speaking.  “ **Wilde, you had better be very careful with the next words out of your muzzle, because you won’t like what could happen otherwise.** ”  There was a tone in the small fox’s voice that left no doubt about how serious this was.  “ **Don’t you ever doubt that rabbit.  I know you got burned once before, but Judy would never leave you.  There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for you and you know it.** ”

The shame was clear across Nick’s whole posture, from the flattened ears to the tail tucked under the barstool.  He could hear Fin sigh from beside him before the fennec spoke again.  “ **Look, the two of you are some of the most in-tune with each other mammals I’ve seen.  There’s nothing you have to worry about, it’s just the season getting to you.”**   The hard edge had left his voice and he returned Nick’s drink to him.  “ **Now, let’s try to cheer you up.  What’s new with Zootopia’s ‘finest’?”**

By the time he called for an Zuber, he honestly was drunk.  Even before leaving the apartment he knew he should have had more to eat, but he didn’t have time.  The jackal driver said little, leaving Nick alone as he attempted to text Judy.  He got no response, although his horrible spelling may not have helped.  By the time he returned to the apartment, he was tired.  Judy’s scent had mostly left her pillow but the alcohol’s soporific effects managed to put him to sleep.

Water and Aspirin were kept close to paw when Nick awoke, the throbbing headache only amplified by the morning sun hitting his light sensitive eyes.  A pained groan accompanied a pillow covering his face before he finally forced himself up.  The blinds had been left open, robbing him of their protective darkness.  Instead of attempting to fall back asleep he pushed himself through his morning routine, the missing presence of Judy making itself keenly felt one last time.  He hadn’t slept easily either, and it showed.  His usually well-groomed fur was sticking out at angles that required a show and brush to tame.

The day passed slowly as Nick waited, every minute taking longer than the last.  Winter weather had taken a turn for the worse over the night but it luckily wasn’t enough to delay the train schedules.  The only response he got from Judy was a short and clipped text; “Tired, much love, talk more when home.”  Unfortunately, there was only so much for a cooped up fox to do.  He had drained the battery on his phone browsing the web, searched the TV for something interesting, and even found himself cleaning just to pass the time.  It didn’t help, and his split antler found itself being gnawed away.  The softer inner structures giving way before the hard exterior was more than scratched.  Nick glanced at the clock on his charging phone and sighed.  He wouldn’t make it through the next three hours.

Somehow, he was still alive three hours seventeen minutes and forty-two seconds later.  Not that he was counting.  The 6:15 train was late, and he wasn’t happy.  The main hall of Central Terminal was full of activity, but the only thing Nick paid much attention to was the announcements.  He almost missed the train’s arrival, squealing brakes and hissing pneumatics were somehow almost able to become part of the natural soundscape.  Tension built within the fox as he waited the final few minutes.

His heartbeat seemed almost deafening in his ears and Nick strained to try and catch the smallest wisps of Judy’s scent.  A flood of mammals poured into the terminal and obscured any chance he had of seeing his rabbit, it didn’t stop him however.  He needed to see two long, black tipped grey ears.  It nearly hurt knowing she was so close and somehow so far away at the same time.  Another incoming train sent a blast of air through the station and carried what Nick had so desperately needed, cedar and something darker like smoke.  Something that could only be described as Judy.

There was a flash of grey somewhere through a gap in the throng of mammals, and Nick had to almost force himself to keep from going after it.  Instead, he had to call for his mate in the crowd.  His heart sank when there was no response.  As the horde of mammals began to disperse, the gaps between them widened until he saw the flash of grey again.  Two long, black tipped grey ears swiveled above a crowd of beavers and this time Nick couldn’t hold still.

He called her name over the crowd and those ears turned to face him.  Brushing a few mammals out of the way brought them face to face at last.  Judy looked tired, but her eyes lit up as she saw him.  Swift strides carried the two of them together before Nick quite literally swept her off her feet and into his arms.  Her luggage stood forgotten where she released it as he spoke into her ear.  “ **Have I ever told you just how much I love you?** ”  Judy’s smile seemed to illuminate the whole building as she replied.  “ **Only every single day.** ”  Nick pulled her closer somehow before whispering again.  “ **Then since I missed the past three, I love you more than I ever thought possible.** ”

He set his rabbit down on the tile floor before kneeling down to be on her height.  “ **May I?** ”  He asked, and her raised chin was all he needed to mark her then and there.  It just felt right, and when she returned the gesture it was somehow even better.  As they made their way out of the station, a wide yawn escaped his mate.  A small smile tugged at Nick’s muzzle, “Didn’t get much sleep on the train or last night, I take it?”  He bumped her slightly with his hip as he kept speaking.  “Couldn’t sleep without me?”  She bumped him back and joked along, but something seemed off slightly.

He realized what was wrong on the metro, and it stewed within his gut as they walked through the cold to the apartment.  Judy didn’t smell right.  Sure, she had her own personal scent but there was something underneath it.  Scent was more than a window to the present; it was a record of the past as well.  Amidst the semi-familiar odors of the Hopps family burrow and its inhabitants was the scent of a new rabbit, a buck.  It was faint, but unmistakably wafted from Judy’s paw.  Nick tried to hide his discomfort but at this time of year it was never going to work.

Judy waited until they were in the privacy of their own rooms before she relaxed.  Nick busied himself with starting to gather the ingredients for dinner, but even before he was able to open the fridge Judy called him from the couch.  “Nick?  Can you come here?”  Concern was laced through her question and stayed in her expression even after he joined her on the couch.  “Is everything alright?  I know this isn’t a good time of year for you, but something has you upset.  Anything I can do to help?”

Nick tried to maintain some amount of coherency, but everything came out all at once.  Words seemed to fall on top of each other as he told her everything; from the secrecy of her visit to the strange scent on her paw.  That last one caught her attention and made her furious. She stood up on the couch and her paws balled into tight fists.  Something that could only be described as a growl emanated from the small mammal as she spoke.  “ _That disgusting, self-aggrandizing piece of shit!  I am going to make that buck regret the day his parents met if I ever see him again._ ”  Concern was replaced with white hot fury and his attempt to have her sit down and explain this was shrugged off.  She stormed out with a vengeful look on her face.

She was still scrubbing at her paw when Nick opened the bathroom door.  The shampoo that she typically reserved for full body cleaning had been moved to the sink.  Judy turned to him and with a final rinse allowed herself to be led to the kitchen.  “ _Judy,_ ” Nick began carefully, “ _Can you explain what that was all about as I get some dinner?_ ”  She nodded and began speaking as he collected ingredients.

“ _It was when I was on the train back home, I texted you as I left the warren.  As the train passed Arburgh there was a buck who obviously thought he was far more charming than he actually was.  Sure he was well dressed in a suit and tie and conversation began innocently enough, but clearly had other ideas.  He was interested in me as a potential mate and I made my feelings on that very clear.  Especially when he attempted to kiss my paw, which must also have been some stupid attempt to chin me subtly._ ”  Nick could hear her practically growl out that last sentence as he poured balsamic vinegar over toasted squash.

“He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”  The plate trembled slightly in the fox’s paw before he set the platter of seared vegetables in front of his mate.  His voice was strained with the emotions rolling through him.  “No,” The response brought relief to his heart.  “ _I was every bit the proper_ **Matron** _even though some buck couldn’t keep his eyes off his produce long enough to see the ring on my paw._ ”  The half muttered curse was muffled with vegetables and Nick took the opportunity to have a portion himself.  The food tasted amazing to him, but only a portion of that was relief.

With his worries addressed, he had a question for his mate.  “So, what was this whole four day trip about?  If this is some secret lapine rite, just tell me and I won’t press you for answers.”  In between mouthfuls of food, Judy explained everything.  “Really, the secrecy is just to keep out nosey bucks, especially during the rites.  What it is though, is a blessing for does.  Supposedly it brings luck, health, longevity, and fertility by burning specially prepared peach wood.”

They retired early that night, seeing as neither of them slept well.  The rest that had evaded Nick came quickly, finally.  They both needed the sleep; the next day would have them on patrol in the winding lower streets of the Rainforest District during monsoon season.  For this night however, it was peaceful.  Nick wrapped his mate in his arms and Judy nestled against his winter coated chest.  With her scent fresh in his mind, everything was right in Nick’s world.

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to make a small request, if there is anything you guys would like to see in the future please feel free to let me know. I have been rather scarce on inspiration as of the past few weeks and would like some new ideas to work with. I have a tendency to drive myself into a rut if I don't get some outside input on a topic and would like your assistance here.


End file.
